The president said in a recent post on Truth Social, "Now, I'll replace the stone, charge the contractor, and never let that cont...
The president said in a recent post on Truth Social, "Now, I'll replace the stone, charge the contractor, and never let that contractor work at the White House again."
Donald Trump is angry at the "stupid people" who left a "gash" in the limestone of the newly renovated White House Rose Garden.
The president, who is 79 years old, posted a long diatribe on Truth Social on August 30 about the "huge" flaw, along with security footage of the moment it supposedly surfaced in the stone patio. He added in the statement that he had subsequently fired the contractor in charge of the group that made the "gash" and promised that they would "never" be allowed back in the White House.
Donald started the post by saying, "At the White House, I used the most beautiful marble and stone that can be found anywhere." "Surfaces are very important to me as a builder." As everyone knows, I've created a lot of great buildings and other things over the years. I am quite happy of the exquisite masonry we produced in the Rose Garden at the White House, which in this case used limestone plus.
He went on to say, "The Rose Garden is finished, and it's much more beautiful than anyone could have imagined when it was first thought of decades ago." Then he remembered the time he found the fault in the recently constructed patio.
Donald wrote, "Three days earlier, while I was looking at the stonework, I noticed a huge rip in the limestone that was more than 25 yards long. It was really deep and bad! "Who did this? I want to know now!" I yelled.
He then made it clear that he "didn't say this in a nice way" while yelling it.
"I thought, 'Was it vandalism or just being dumb? Lo and behold, because we've put in the best security equipment anywhere, they brought back the dumb guys, with their boss watching (in sunglasses!)," the president said, alluding to the events in the surveillance film he attached to the post.
"It was a subcontractor who was putting heavy landscaping on a steel cart that was broken and leaning badly, rubbing hard against the soft, beautiful stone," he claimed. "I love and respect great workers and contractors, but this should never happen." Now, I'll change the stone, bill the contractor, and never allow that contractor work at the White House again.
He remarked, "But how great is the video equipment?" before signing off on the post. He then conducted a final victory lap, saying of the employees who are now banned, "We caught them, cold."
Donald added a 40-second video to his post that shows two of the workers pushing a plant about the garden in a cart while another blows leaves. The cart dropped off the stone for a second as they round a corner. It became stuck, but they hoisted it back up and kept going. Donald pointed out that the boss, who was also holding a leaf blower, showed up later in the video.
The video doesn't make it apparent where the "gash" is.
A White House official called the latest work on the White House Rose Garden a "restoration" when it started in early June. The official also told PEOPLE that Donald and Melania Trump "have deep respect for the history of the White House and for the Rose Garden."
"This restoration to the Rose Garden preserves the beauty of the space and builds on the work done in 2020," the official said, referring to Melania's headline-making (and controversial) redesign of the historic space, "with a focus on enhancing practical use and guest experience for those attending special events.”